I have been contemplating climbing Indianhead Peak in the Anza-Borrego Desert for a few years. But this year everything came together and the summit bid was on! Friends of Debbie and myself were going out to work on their home in Borrego Springs and asked if we would like to stay in their bungalow for the week. The weather has been cool and wet on the coast and sunny and in the 80’s in the desert. How could we decline!

Here is a little information about Anza-Borrego SP from the California State Parks Website:

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in California. Five-hundred miles of dirt roads, 12 wilderness areas and miles of hiking trails provide visitors with an unparalleled opportunity to experience the wonders of the California Desert. The park is named after Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and the Spanish name borrego, or bighorn sheep. The park features washes, wildflowers, palm groves, cacti and sweeping vistas. Visitors may also have the chance to see roadrunner, golden eagles, kit foxes, mule deer and bighorn sheep as well as iguanas, chuckwallas and the red diamond rattlesnake.

Here is some of the park history from the DesertUSA Website:

• California State Park Commission created by State Legislature: 1927.
• Guy L. Fleming of La Jolla and Clinton Abbott of San Diego submit first plans for Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: 1928.
• All Federally-owned lands north of Highway 78 acquired as park land by State of California: 1933.
• First California State Park Custodian assigned to Anza-Borrego Desert: 1933.
• Filing completed on Park lands south of Highway 78: 1941.
• Construction of Palm Canyon Campground completed: 1949.
• Borrego State Park and Anza Desert State Park consolidated to form Anza
• Borrego Desert State Park: 1957.
• Dedication of Visitor Center: March 16, 1979.

We spent the first few days exploring the vast activities and destinations available to us in this desert resort. We hiked the Yaquitepec Site on Ghost Mountain, saw the Petroglyphs above Little Blair Valley, climbed into Smuggler Canyon. We drove out to Fonts Point to view the Borrego Badlands and a trip to Alcoholic Pass. All this activity was secondary to getting ready to do one thing, climb Indianhead.

Indianhead Peak sits to the northwest of downtown Borrego Springs. The profile of the summit ridge resembles a face with an Indian headdress looking to the heavens. It rises from the Borrego Palm Canyon some 3000 feet in 1.2 miles from the canyon floor.

The evening before summit day, Deb and I prepared our packs and got to bed early. After some additional reading about climbing this peak, I decided to leave around 7 am instead of 8 am. The alarm went of at 6 am and after the morning preparations, Debbie decided not to go. She did not sleep well and was concerned about slowing us down. I am not crazy about going into the mountains alone, but in this case, I thought it best too.

Debbie dropped me off at the Palm Canyon Trailhead around 7 am…

Next edition of OTT Blog to continue the trek accounting!

It was bound to happen, day use limits on the chains to climb Half Dome. Here are some of the details from the National Park Service website:

“Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome are now required on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays when the cables are up.  This is an interim measure to increase safety along the cables while the park develops a long-term plan to manage use on the Half Dome Trail.

Beginning in 2010, all people using the Half Dome Trail above the subdome must have a permit in possession on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays when the cables are up. A maximum of 400 permits will be issued each of these days. (Before the permit system, fewer than 400 people used this trail on weekdays, while about 800 people used this trail on weekends and holidays, on average.)”

Read all the details here: Half Dome Permits

Enjoy your climb, Peter

If you are interested in climbing and mountaineering you probably have heard of the AAC(American Alpine Club). Well, the AAC now also publishes many of their articles online at the American Alpine Journal. This publication is the “journal of record” for the documentation of significant climbs. The reports from North America can be found here. I

From the AAJ website: “The AAJ is published by the American Alpine Club. Founded in 1902, the AAC is the leading national organization devoted to mountaineering and rock climbing, the conservation and study of mountainous regions, and representing the interests of the American climbing community.”

I am a member of the AAC for a number of reasons. One of the reasons is the Global Rescue Service. This service is a $5000 rescue benefit, no elevation limitation and not just for climbing. If you spend as much time as I do in the mountains, this coverage is a good idea. The other benefits can be found on the AAC Website.

Well, since I am not on the trail today, I think I am going to spend a little time in the journals at AAJ!

Hope to see you on the trail, Peter

One of the most commonly found stoves carried by long distance backpackers is a cat stove. This stove is light and is usually home built! Some of the other reasons for its popularity are simplicity, availability of fuel and low cost. This stove is powered by alcohol. Fuel sources include denatured alcohol, grain alcohol, methanol and/or isopropanol. Most  backpackers will purchase “HEET” in the yellow bottle(methanol) to fuel their stove.

This little stove has many advantages, just be careful not to crush or step on it. There is a price for ultralight! So here are some of the disadvantages: no adjustable heat, no shut off, unable to cook lots of food, melt or cook in the snow.

Find all the information you could ever want on the building, use and specs for this amazing stove at zenstoves.net.

Be safe and see you on the trail, Peter